Chapter 427
**Chapter 425: [Extra] Li Qingxun (3)**
Li Qingling's delicate face turned pale as she hurriedly covered her mouth. Her father, the emperor, was the son of a concubine and had always despised the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children after ascending the throne. He treated all the children in the palace fairly, but if Li Qingling's words reached his ears today, he would surely be furious.
Li Qingling was at a loss.
Li Qingxun had already tilted her body and "fainted" to the ground.
...
When Li Qingxun finally woke up again, it was already the next day. She found that the environment of the Qiuliang Palace where she resided had greatly improved. The dilapidated courtyard walls had been repaired, the broken windows were patched up, and she was covered with a warm silk quilt. The air was thick with the scent of medicine.
Yuan'er entered, carefully holding a bowl of warm medicine and placing it in front of Li Qingxun.
Li Qingxun forced herself to swallow the bitter medicine, gulping down more than half the bowl. Yuan'er stood by, informing her of the changes happening in the harem.
Yesterday, Li Qingxun had gone to the Imperial Garden to complain, and this incident had been widely spread by Consort Xie to the emperor. The emperor had long been dissatisfied with the empress and was further angered by the remarks about "illegitimate being inferior to legitimate." As a result, he stripped the empress of her authority over the six palaces, handing over all matters of the harem to Consort Xie, and confined the seventh princess for two months.
With power in her hands, Consort Xie naturally had to make a show of it, sending palace maids to repair Qiuliang Palace and providing Li Qingxun with some clothing and medicinal supplies.
In short, Li Qingxun's difficult days had improved.
The Imperial Kitchen no longer dared to withhold her food, and the Imperial Medical Bureau sent medicine daily, along with her reduced allowance.
"Princess, the consort has sent us so many good things. Should we go thank her?" Yuan'er kindly suggested.
Li Qingxun waved her hand dismissively. "No need, I can't be bothered."
Any princess with a bit of sense would have rushed over to flatter and thank the consort for her protection. But Li Qingxun had no intention of doing so.
She was used to others currying favor with her; when had she ever needed to curry favor with anyone else? Besides, as a princess who had never been favored, she had never received guidance from the old matrons in the palace. To the outside world, she was just a "foolish princess who didn't understand etiquette, gratitude, or cunning."
If she were to express gratitude to Consort Xie, it would only draw attention to her existence, provoking the empress and other consorts' jealousy.
"Calculating and scheming, the daily backstabbing is really exhausting. With all this time, I might as well do some scientific research and contribute to society," Li Qingxun said irritably, flipping over.
She closed her eyes and dozed off for the entire day.
In the days that followed, she focused on recovering her health, eating well and taking her medicine every day.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
As early summer approached, Li Qingxun felt like she was going to mold away. Cooped up in Qiuliang Palace, taking bitter medicine every day, she had no entertainment.
"I want to work, I want to do research, I want to contribute to my country..." With her injuries mostly healed, Li Qingxun felt stifled.
She didn’t want to be trapped in this small palace. She had worked hard to study and dedicate herself to a great cause, not to be just a princess in a little courtyard.
This broken palace was even smaller than her experimental research base.
One morning, Li Qingxun got up early. She looked in the mirror, and after two months of careful nurturing, her once gaunt cheeks had filled out a bit, and her complexion had brightened considerably.
Li Qingxun stared at her reflection for a long time.
The girl in the mirror looked just like her younger self. Li Qingxun couldn’t help but analyze that perhaps the neutrino experiment had caused a rift in space-time, bringing her to another dimension.
Maybe it was a parallel universe.
Li Qingxun tried to think positively; as long as there were instruments to absorb enough neutrinos, she could activate them and cause a disturbance in space-time, giving her a chance to return.
"Yuan'er, let’s go outside for a walk," Li Qingxun said, putting down the mirror and flipping out of bed like a fish leaping from water.
Yuan'er, a timid girl, hesitantly tried to dissuade her. "Princess, your health isn’t good. Shouldn’t we stay inside... The emperor has already arranged a marriage for the fifth princess, so it won’t be long before he finds you a husband. Then you can leave the palace and be free."
Li Qingxun shook her head in disdain.
Marriage? What good could that possibly bring?
Her brilliant mind should be focused on research; men would only hinder her career.
Moreover, in a feudal dynasty, she, an unfavored princess, was merely a tool for the emperor to stabilize his court.
A princess's marriage was decided by the emperor and empress together. Having offended the empress, the husband she would be assigned would likely be a worthless man.
"Let’s not talk about that; let’s go for a stroll first. There are plenty of crucian carp in the pond of the Imperial Garden. Let’s catch a couple for fish soup," Li Qingxun said, pulling Yuan'er along as she dashed out of Qiuliang Palace.
...
In early summer, the lotus leaves in the pond unfurled.
Li Qingxun leaned over the railing of the pond, using her homemade fishing net to catch fish. The water was serene, the lotus leaves a vibrant green, and the fish were incredibly agile, always slipping through the gaps in the net.
Li Qingxun had initially just wanted to have some fun.
But seeing how nimble the crucian carp were, she began to take it seriously, quickly analyzing their swimming speed and direction, predicting where they would escape.
*Splash—*
The fish fell into the net.
Yuan'er, inspired by Li Qingxun's enthusiasm, clapped her hands in delight. "Princess, you’re amazing!"
Li Qingxun smirked, handing the caught crucian carp to Yuan'er. "Let’s gather some wild scallions later to enhance the flavor of the fish soup."
As the two of them happily discussed the recipe for the fish soup, a steady sound of footsteps suddenly approached from behind.
Li Qingxun turned around.
She saw a young man in a brocade robe, wearing a white jade crown, with a handsome face, smiling at her.
Li Qingxun couldn’t recognize who he was and could only rely on her vague memories to judge. With his scholarly demeanor and extraordinary aura, he was likely the rumored Zhang He'an.
Li Qingxun felt a bit disappointed.
Zhang He'an looked refined and seemed familiar, but to Li Qingxun, he appeared to be a dangerous smiling tiger.
The original owner must not have encountered many handsome men to be so infatuated with him.
"I heard you were whipped by the seventh princess. How is your health now?" the young man in the brocade robe asked.
After two months, he only now showed concern for her—what a heartless scoundrel.
Li Qingxun held up her homemade fishing net. "I’m fine, thank you for your concern, Master Zhang."
The brocade-robed young man raised an eyebrow.
Li Qingxun continued, "Time reveals a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's heart. The seventh princess hit me, but it made me see through your hypocrisy, Master Zhang. I was blind before, but from now on, I’ll keep my eyes clear and won’t cling to you anymore."
The young man in the brocade robe was taken aback, his eyes curving into a smile as he laughed joyfully. "Sixth sister, your illness isn’t fully healed, yet you mistake me for Zhang He'an. I never noticed before that you’re quite the interesting character."
Yuan'er, embarrassed, tugged at Li Qingxun's sleeve and whispered, "Princess, this is the third prince, the only son of Consort Xie, not Master Zhang."
Li Qingxun: ...
Why didn’t you say that earlier, you silly girl!
Li Qingxun had heard that Consort Xie was a singer the emperor brought back from his travels, who gained his favor after entering the palace and bore him a son and a daughter. The son was named Li Ang, ranked third; unfortunately, Consort Xie’s daughter had died young.
Li Qingxun was puzzled. "What does Zhang He'an look like?"
Yuan'er scratched her head, unsure how to explain. Then she glanced into the distance, her eyes suddenly lighting up, and secretly tugged at Li Qingxun's sleeve. "Princess, Master Zhang is over there; he’s coming this way."
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